The present invention relates to soldering equipment and more particularly to a self-feeding soldering device including a soldering assembly, a solder feed mechanism carried on the soldering assembly, and a solder system controller in controlling connection with the soldering assembly and the solder feed mechanism; the soldering assembly including: a pistol grip housing, an electrical resistance cartridge heater element housed within a high heat conductivity barrel supported by the pistol grip housing, a detachable soldering tip having a barrel connecting end detachably connectable to an end of the high heat conductivity barrel, a solder dispensing surface having a solder dispensing opening in connection with a solder passageway formed through the soldering tip between a soldering tip solder insertion side opening and solder dispensing opening, a tip temperature sensor having a temperature sensing transducer mechanically connected to the soldering tip and having an insulated transducer output line extending from the temperature sensing transducer into connection with a temperature sensor input of the solder system controller, and a heater element power supply having a power output in connection with the heater element, and a manually positionable soldering iron tip temperature selection knob having an output in connection with a temperature select input of the solder system controller, the solder system controller being programmed to control the heater element power supply in a manner such that the soldering iron tip is maintained at the selected temperature; the solder feed mechanism being in mechanical connection with the soldering assembly and including a spindle structure for rotatably supporting a spool of solder wire, a variable speed solder wire pinch feed assembly including a freewheeling top resilient roller and a motor driven bottom resilient roller, driven by a variable speed motor and between which a section of the solder wire from the spool of solder wire rotatably mounted on the spindle structure is positioned and frictionally driven by the resilient rollers toward an inlet of a first solder wire guide tube positioned adjacent to the output side of the two resilient rollers, the first solder wire guide tube directing the end of the solder wire to a thermal insulation gap provided between the outlet end of the first solder wire guide tube and an inlet opening of a second solder wire guide tube, the second solder wire guide tube having a solder wire outlet end in connection with the soldering tip solder insertion side opening of the solder tip; the variable speed motor of the motor driven bottom resilient roller being controlled by a feed mechanism motor on/off switch and a trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller for allowing the user to control the speed of the solder feed mechanism with the trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller between a no-feed condition to a full-speed feed condition depending on the job being performed. In a preferred embodiment, the variable speed motor is coupled to the motor driven bottom resilient roller by a gear box and includes a slip clutch assembly for preventing solder wire from being continuously forced into a tangled mess should a jamb occur in one of the first or second solder wire guide tubes. In another preferred embodiment the self-feeding soldering device also includes a flashlight source having a light source aimed at the solder tip to illuminate the work area so that the self-feeding soldering device user may more clearly view the items to be soldered together.
Soldering two items together using a conventional soldering iron or gun and spool of solder wire requires the two elements being soldered together to be held in a fixed relation while the tip of the soldering device is used to heat the two elements and the tip end of the spool of wire solder is rubbed against one or more of the elements to be soldered together. Although once this is accomplished the solder joint is effective, it can be difficult, when in cramped conditions, to hold the two elements together while simultaneously heating them with a soldering device and then rapidly feeding the solder wire onto the elements while they are still hot enough to melt the solder. It would be desirable, therefore, to have a soldering device that included a quantity of solder wire which could be automatically fed to the heated solder tip of the soldering device so that one hand of the user would remain free for holding one of the elements against the other element being soldered.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a self-feeding soldering device that includes a soldering assembly, a solder feed mechanism carried on the soldering assembly, and a solder system controller in controlling connection with the soldering assembly and the solder feed mechanism; the soldering assembly including: a pistol grip housing, an electrical resistance cartridge heater element housed within a high heat conductivity barrel supported by the pistol grip housing, a detachable soldering tip having a barrel connecting end detachably connectable to an end of the high heat conductivity barrel, a solder dispensing surface having a solder dispensing opening in connection with a solder passageway formed through the soldering tip between a soldering tip solder insertion side opening and solder dispensing opening, a tip temperature sensor having a temperature sensing transducer mechanically connected to the soldering tip and having an insulated transducer output line extending from the temperature sensing transducer into connection with a temperature sensor input of the solder system controller, and a heater element power supply having a a power output in connection with the heater element, and a manually positionable soldering iron tip temperature selection knob having an output in connection with a temperature select input of the solder system controller, the solder system controller being programmed to control the heater element power supply in a manner such that the soldering iron tip is maintained at the selected temperature; the solder feed mechanism being in mechanical connection with the soldering assembly and including a spindle structure for rotatably supporting a spool of solder wire, a variable speed solder wire pinch feed assembly including a freewheeling top resilient roller and a motor driven bottom resilient roller, driven by a variable speed motor and between which a section of the solder wire from the spool of solder wire rotatably mounted on the spindle structure is positioned and frictionally driven by the resilient rollers toward an inlet of a first solder wire guide tube positioned adjacent to the output side of the two resilient rollers, the first solder wire guide tube directing the end of the solder wire to a thermal insulation gap provided between the outlet end of the first solder wire guide tube and an inlet opening of a second solder wire guide tube, the second solder wire guide tube having a solder wire outlet end in connection with the soldering tip solder insertion side opening of the solder tip; the variable speed motor of the motor driven bottom resilient roller being controlled by a feed mechanism motor on/off switch and a trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller for allowing the user to control the speed of the solder feed mechanism with the trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller between a no-feed condition to a full-speed feed condition depending on the job being performed. In a preferred embodiment, the variable speed motor is coupled to the motor driven bottom resilient roller by a gear box and includes a slip clutch assembly for preventing solder wire from being continuously forced into a tangled mess should a jamb occur in one of the first or second solder wire guide tubes. In another preferred embodiment the self-feeding soldering also includes a flashlight source having a light source aimed at the solder tip to illuminate the work area so that the self-feeding soldering user more clearly view the items to be soldered together.
Accordingly, a self-feeding soldering device is provided. The self-feeding soldering device includes a soldering assembly, a solder feed mechanism carried on the soldering assembly, and a solder system controller in controlling connection with the soldering assembly and the solder feed mechanism in a manner to control the feed of solder to a soldering area of a solder tip of the soldering assembly; the soldering assembly including: a pistol grip housing, an electrical resistance cartridge heater element housed within a high heat conductivity barrel supported by the pistol grip housing, a detachable soldering tip having a barrel connecting end detachably connectable to an end of the high heat conductivity barrel, a solder dispensing surface having a solder dispensing opening in connection with a solder passageway formed through the soldering tip between a soldering tip solder insertion side opening and solder dispensing opening, a tip temperature sensor having a temperature sensing transducer mechanically connected to the soldering tip and having an insulated transducer output line extending from the temperature sensing transducer into connection with a temperature sensor input of the solder system controller, and a heater element power supply having a power output in connection with the heater element, and a manually positionable soldering iron tip temperature selection knob having an output in connection with a temperature select input of the solder system controller, the solder system controller being programmed to control the heater element power supply in a manner such that the soldering iron tip is maintained at the selected temperature; the solder feed mechanism being in mechanical connection with the soldering assembly and including a spindle structure for rotatably supporting a spool of solder wire, a variable speed solder wire pinch feed assembly including a freewheeling top resilient roller and a motor driven bottom resilient roller, driven by a variable speed motor and between which a section of the solder wire from the spool of solder wire rotatably mounted on the spindle structure is positioned and frictionally driven by the resilient rollers toward an inlet of a first solder wire guide tube positioned adjacent to the output side of the two resilient rollers, the first solder wire guide tube directing the end of the solder wire to a thermal insulation gap provided between the outlet end of the first solder wire guide tube and an inlet opening of a second solder wire guide tube, the second solder wire guide tube having a solder wire outlet end in connection with the soldering tip solder insertion side opening of the solder tip; the variable speed motor of the motor driven bottom resilient roller being controlled by a feed mechanism motor on/off switch and a trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller for allowing the user to control the speed of the solder feed mechanism with the trigger activated feed mechanism motor speed controller between a no-feed condition to a full-speed feed condition depending on the job being performed. In a preferred embodiment, the variable speed motor is coupled to the motor driven bottom resilient roller by a gear box and includes a slip clutch assembly for preventing solder wire from being continuously forced into a tangled mess should a jamb occur in one of the first or second solder wire guide tubes. In another preferred embodiment the self-feeding soldering also includes a flashlight source having a light source aimed at the solder tip to illuminate the work area so that the self-feeding soldering user more clearly view the items to be soldered together.